Cowboys want to get younger

ORLANDO, Fla. -- On the last day of the NFL owners meetings, Cowboys coach Jason Garrett talked about his team becoming younger. While it's good to have experience, Garrett said the league has always been geared for the younger talent.

When asked if the Cowboys would seek a veteran receiver, Garrett said Dez Bryant was a veteran and he even mentioned Terrance Williams, entering his second season, as a Day 1 starter for 2014.

Garrett didn't know the average age of the roster, mainly because it's still being finalized, but not re-signing 30 something defensive linemen DeMarcus Ware and Jason Hatcher, along with backup linebacker Ernie Sims, is a statement onto itself.

"You always want to infuse your team with young talent," Garrett said Wednesday morning. "You’re always trying to build your team for now and for going forward. You don’t want to build your team with guys based on what they’ve done in the past. It’s based on what they can do now for your team and what they can do going forward for your team. That’s not a commentary on anyone we’ve let go. We feel like DeMarcus Ware has a lot of good football left in him. We feel like Jason Hatcher has a lot of good football left in him. Those are the two marquee guys we’re talking about. But we had to make an organizational decision in a salary-cap era, given our salary–cap circumstances. Again, we felt like these are the best moves for our team now and moving forward."

When the 2014 starts, the Cowboys will have 20-something-year old players at skill positions such as cornerback, left tackle, wide receiver, running back, defensive tackle, strong safety and middle linebacker.

"You’re always trying to upgrade your football team and looking at the landscape as to how you can do that," Garrett said. "We’re getting into draft time right now. That’s certainly one way. We’re still in free agency. You’re always looking at the landscape at who’s available and who can help you. We’ll do that at that position just like any other position."

Calvin Watkins covers the Houston Rockets and the NBA for ESPN.com. He joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. He's covered the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers as well as colleges, boxing and high school sports.